Starting Over
by nobodyreallyimportant
Summary: Having not replied to Chief Dokuro's challenge, Katsuragi Keima never became Elsie's buddy, thus altering every event that was supposed to have happened. However, the wheels of fate are still turning as Keima continuously meets up with the runner and loose spirit host, Takahara Ayumi. The world has never seemed so cruel to our young Capturing God...
1. NEW GAME

Note: This story (and A Bowl of Love, but I totally didn't forget this note when I was putting it in, no sir) was originally written by Festus Flare. This has been edited slightly and reuploaded with his permission.

_To The God of Conquest _

_I have heard rumours that you can conquer any girl. That is quite unbelievable, but if it is true, then there is a girl that I would like you to conquer. If you are confident that you can do it, press the "Reply" button. _

**REPLY**

_P.S. If it is impossible, don't ever press the button! _

_Dokuro Skull _

Katsuragi Keima looked warily at the square screen of his precious PFP. The message he had just received was still glaring at him, taunting him to click the "Reply" button. Of course, he had plans to click on the dreaded button and accept this 'Dokuro Skull's' challenge.

"What's with this mail? It has the scent of provocation! Who does he think I am?" Keima shouted to no one in particular.

As his thumb lingered on the button that would have sealed his fate, Keima suddenly felt… hesitant. This was all too mysterious. Yes, he always received Anonymous messages. After all, that's what his site; 'the Fallen God' was all about; Anonymous people sending him messages regarding his precious Dating Sims.

But this one felt different, like it had an aura of malice attached to it. Somehow, Keima knew that clicking the "Reply" button would have caused something even worse to occur; something that he would probably regret later on in his life. In fact, it might even make him regret it there and then. So, with a heavy heart, Keima slowly pressed the "Delete" button, destroying the message that he had just received.

"Hmph, I am a God!" Keima monologued, trying to make himself sound cooler. "And Gods do not have to respond to such petty challenges"

He then got up, still staring at the bright light that emitted from the screen of his gaming system. There was no need for him to be on the rooftop anymore. In fact, he should have been going to the video game store today to buy some more Dating Sims. It was that runner, Takahara Ayumi's fault. If only she had helped him clean up and NOT ditch him to go clean the rooftop by himself, he would have been done quite a while ago.

As he left, cursing the runner more and more, he managed to complete yet another one of his Dating Sims.

Don't get him wrong, he has no feelings towards this Ayumi girl. No, that would be the understatement of the year. Katsuragi Keima has absolutely zero feelings towards the Real World as a whole. For he is the God of Conquest, the ruler of the 2D world – the Gaming World!

As he closed the door behind him, Keima had just missed the mysterious phenomenon that occurred right where he had sit down just moments before. Dark clouds covered the sky just above the rooftop, basking it in its eerie darkness. Moments had passed and, without warning, a purple lightning bolt struck the ground, causing a huge exploding sound to reverberate towards the area. As the sky cleared, a mysterious figure clad in purple could be seen floating down from the clouds, a broom in hand.

"Mou, I didn't believe he would actually decline," the figure spoke in a rather high-pitched tone. "Ah, but what am I going to do about the loose soul now?!"

As the girl frantically started sweeping the area to calm down her nerves, the skull mask that was prominent on her head, acting as a sort of hair accessory, started making a 'Dorodoro' sound as the eyes glowed green. The girl clicked on a button that was on the mask, turning off the noise.

"Take no measures, Elsie" a deep voice told the girl, Elsie "I believe that we could still handle this situation"

"B-But… Chief Dokuro…!" The girl, Elsie, spoke with a meek voice. "The loose soul…"

"Oh, we are not going to be glossing over that now" Chief Dokuro reassured the girl once more. "For now, observe the boy. If worse comes to worst, he will be forced to liberate the loose soul from the Host's body. But for now, observe. You can do that, right?"

"O-Of course!" Elsie said with a proud expression. "Observing is easy!"

"I could ask Haqua to help you," Chief Dokuro said after a moment. "After all, you did cause the destruction of Atlan-"

"Aah! It's nothing!" Elsie squeaked as she tried to forget about that old experience "I'll observe him just fine, or my name isn't Elucia de Lut Ima!"

With that statement made clear, Elsie took off from the rooftop, floating towards wherever it is that the self-proclaimed God was. That was when she realized just one teeny little problem.

"Aah, where did he go?!"

Meanwhile, back in the classroom.

"Muahahaha!" Keima's maniacal laugh sounded just as annoying as it was written. "There is nothing that you can do to escape my conquest! I can already see the ending!"

He epically pushed his glasses up as the non-existent BGM supported his claim. In just a few presses of the buttons on his PFP, Keima conquered yet another girl, kissing her on the lips passionately as he had just saved her from committing suicide. With a proud smile, he saved and reset the game, ready to take on the next girl in the series. A few minutes in, he had appeared at the track field, where the second girl in the game series was.

«"Hey, you must be the new transfer student!"» the girl said with a wide grin.

Keima couldn't help but stop and just stare at the screen for a few seconds. After all, the girl he was just about to conquer, she was a lot like a certain runner classmate of his. No, it was just a coincidence that she had the similarly styled black short haircut as the girl. Yes, all a coincidence.

Deciding to look outside the window, Keima took a glance at the track field where the female Track & Field members were busy preparing for the Track Meet that was going to be held in a few days. He scoffed at them. No, the girls there couldn't possibly be a Track team. They had no spirit, none of the qualities needed by a Track team.

They didn't even wear bloomers.

However, that was when he noticed something odd. Something that made him question his eyesight.

Around a familiar runner, blue mist seemed to be forming around her, though oddly he seemed to be the only one who could see it. Keima rubbed his eyes, but the mist was still there, acting like an evil aura that threatened to kill him.

"Wha-?"

Just as he said that, the most slowly dissipated, leaving the scene looking as it normally did.

"Ignore it, Keima" the brunette told himself. "That is all just a trick of light made by reality to make you fall even deeper into the crappy game known as the Real World. There is absolutely nothing for me to worry about. I did not see that blue mist surrounding Takahara Ayumi"

He then proceeded to leave the classroom, heading towards the nearest Video Game Store that he knew. Unbeknownst to him, the gears of fate would not take kindly on his statement. Oh, they were going to make him pay for that.

Down at the track field, Ayumi was happily chatting with her good friends Miyako and Izumi. There was absolutely nothing wrong today, not even the sudden act of their shorts turning into bloomers. That was when Miyako suddenly raised a very interesting question.

"Aren't you supposed to be on duty to clean the rooftop today with Otamegane?" she asked, using the nickname that everyone gave for the bespectacled Dating Sim obsessed freak "Hmm? Well, I sort of asked him to, well, take care of it himself since I had practice" Ayumi said with a slight blush and a million dollar grin "I guess that wasn't very nice of me, ne?"

"Not very nice? It's Otamegane. Who cares, anyway?" Izumi rebutted, scratching her spiky short hair

Ayumi chuckled at her friend's remark. Well, it was true that no one actually gave a damn on what Keima does. In her defense, she guessed that he might also need the workout. But then again, maybe she should apologize to him for leaving him hanging, just this once. It's not like anything was going to grow from that, anyway.

'I'll apologize tomorrow, then' Ayumi thought as she tied her hair up, ready to practice for the Track Meet coming soon

Far away, on the rooftop of the school building, a petite looking girl stared at the runner intently, wondering just how she was going to capture the loose soul without a buddy. Turning her head around, she stared at Keima, blissfully unaware that he was being watched and still playing his PFP.

"Chief Dokuro is going to kill me…"


	2. CONTINUE

Ever since he was a child, Katsuragi Keima considered himself to be rather gifted.

He was a genius, of course, who could easily obtain a high score for his exams without even needing to focus in class. He barely even needed to study, if need be. Still, for some unknown reason, the teachers were all pissed every time he managed to get a perfect score for his exams.

What's there to be mad about, anyway? He got a good score, right?

There was also the fact that he had a slight case of clairvoyance, where he could easily guess where a Route was going to take him. This ability, he acquired due to tremendous amounts of gaming that would be deemed unhealthy by parents and teachers alike. But still, he could just show his brilliant test scores and they would all stare at him in awe and, strangely enough, anger.

Keima would never understand what is wrong with the teachers.

That was why he was currently confused with the sudden Flag that had triggered while he was at the front gate of the school, ready to take on another day of pretending not to give a damn about the teachers as he played with his beloved PFP.

Takahara Ayumi had walked up to him and greeted him in her bubbly manner.

This was a strange occurrence for him. Usually, nobody would even bat an eye while he was at school, playing with his PFP as usual. To them, he was like a damp piece of underwear, and nobody wanted to be caught talking to a damp piece of underwear. But now here she was, the fastest runner in class, Ayumi, greeting him a cheerful "Mornin'!" like she was used to doing that to him every day.

Thinking that this was all just some elaborate plan to fool him into conversing with something from the Real World, Keima ignored the girl and carried on in his merry way. Strangely enough, Ayumi was persistent in following him, striking up one of the most one-sided conversations ever made in the history of humanity.

"-So, anyway, I just wanted to apologise to you for yesterday, kay?" Ayumi smirked and placed her arms behind her head. "I'll make it up to you, I promise!"

"As if I would require any assistance from the Real!" Keima scoffed, trying to push away the strangely cheerful girl without changing her Parameters.

"Right, I'll take that as a 'yes.'" Ayumi smiled once more before running off, waving at Keima happily. "Well, I've got an errand to run, see ya!"

He swore he heard the sound of someone slamming into a stone pillar at the direction Ayumi had run off to, and a high-pitched voice yelping as if she was used to something like that happening.

Simply shrugging off the strange occurrence, Keima walked into his class and headed for his usual seat, earning not as much as a glance from the other students. Strangely enough, he swore he heard the mention of his name, that is to say his nickname Otamegane, in a few conversations. As always, he tuned out the sound of the students' voices with the beautiful sounds produced by his Dating Sims.

"Aren't you popular today, Otamega?" said a familiar voice, egging Keima on.

Kosaka Chihiro sat at her seat that was placed to his south-west, reading a fashion magazine that she had brought over from home. Oh, how Keima hated the girl's guts. For some reason, Chihiro did everything that was in her power to insult Keima on a daily basis, all the while earning nothing much back from him except the occasional death glare from him.

"After all, not only did someone willingly talk to you," Chihiro continued on, still reading the magazine but brain fully set on annoying Keima, "It was a girl! Not to mention that that girl is Ayumi, too"

Keima ignored Chihiro again, he didn't need this sort of exercise so early in the morning. He didn't even care about Ayumi's greeting. As far as he's concerned, Ayumi was the type of girl who was cheerful and well-liked, talking to everyone without any form of favoritism. Not to mention that Ayumi had come to apologize to him for ditching him with the task of cleaning the entire rooftop yesterday. It was a valid enough reason to talk to him for a few minutes.

Keima's patience paid off as the bell had rung, making all the students return to their seats while Nikaido-sensei casually strolled into the room, carrying the books needed for today's lessons. Not more than two minutes later, she had slammed a book squarely on top of Keima's head.

"Cheh, I know you think my class is boring, but could you at least pretend to take interest in what I'm teaching for once?!" Nikaido-sensei said in her cool demon-like tone, prompting Keima to wince in pain. Well, look at the bright side. At least he had just managed to reach a Save Point!

As Keima stood back up, rubbing his sore head while cursing his sensei to oblivion, he caught sight of Ayumi once more. He had only stolen a glance, being fully aware that anything more than two seconds was considered staring at a girl, and he was sure that he did not want to be seen staring at something, or even someone, related to the Real World. Still, he was tempted to look once more.

Surrounding Ayumi was the same blue mist from yesterday.

It was barely noticeable, almost like an interesting piece of rock at the side of the street, but it was there. Quickly, Keima looked at the girl once more. This time, the mist had gone. Blinking back his confusion, the God of Conquest barely realized it when his head was slammed with an even thicker book by Nikaido-sensei.

"Focus on the class, Katsuragi, the class!" she said with her tranquil fury

_'Damn it,'_ Keima thought to himself as he rubbed the back of his head. _'I was too careless!'_

All around him, the Dating Sim addict could hear the hushed voices of his classmates as they noticed Keima's stare. No doubt rumors about the two of them were going to spread soon. To Keima, this was not good. He needed to do something to cancel this Flag, and fast! Sadly, even he knew that Rumor Events were quite difficult to overcome, even in all of his Dating Sims.

_'Either way, I'll still have to get this over with, in order to save my gaming time!'_

And so, for the rest of the day, Keima had immersed himself in his games, hoping to avoid any unnecessary contact with the Real. As the day wore on, he knew that he was doing well as the rumors started dying down. No doubt that everyone just considered it as that one off-chance that Keima would accidentally look at a girl, or was maybe even looking out the window. Needless to say, Keima was extremely happy with the development.

It was at the end of the class that everything went downhill.

Keima was still at his seat, trying to conquer a feminized Edo Period War General when he felt a presence, a presence that he was trying to ignore for the entire day. For some reason unbeknownst to him, Ayumi had appeared before him, holding out a piece of melon bread as she smiled cheerfully.

"I still haven't made it up to you, so here you go!" Ayumi said, although Keima could swear that he heard a slight hesitation in her voice "You didn't eat lunch, right?"

"Why?"

"Eh?" Ayumi blinked in confusion.

"Why are you even doing this? Aren't you worried about those rumors?" Keima tried to give her a rational explanation, all the while trying to avoid eye contact with the girl. "All you needed was to apologize and leave, there was no need to raise anymore Flags along the way."

Ayumi stood, pondering the reason for a second. Well, yes, she was sorry for not helping him out, but this was strangely unlike her. Some of her friends had even started teasing her the entire day because of it, and she was quite sure that she didn't have any feelings for him. That is, she thought that she was sure. Shrugging everything off as she usually did, Ayumi still handed out the melon bread to him.

"It wouldn't feel right, you know?" Ayumi finally said. "Well, I've got Track practice to go too, see ya!"

Keima swore he heard the distinct sound of someone crashing into another stone pillar.

Now, this was a strange development. Well, whatever happens, there was no other reason for Ayumi to converse with him. That should put this strange Route to a grinding halt. Turning to the bread that Ayumi had left him, he decided to take a bite out of it.

"This is too sweet." he mused to no one in particular. "I hate sweet things."

Unbeknownst to our protagonist, he was currently being watched from afar. A baby faced Demon was staring at him intently as she peeked out from behind a wall. She was obviously earning strange stares from the many students as they walked past, but the Demon was probably too busy focusing on her target to actually notice it. Why she didn't use her raiment to hide her presence, no one would ever know.

"I guess that everything's going fine…" Elsie thought out loud as she focused on Keima. "Her gap is starting to become smaller, too. Now, what should I do to help make the gap even smaller?"

"Absolutely nothing."

"AAH!" Elsie squealed, surprised by the sudden voice that had spoken behind her.

Turning around in fear, Elsie was prepared to apologize her head off at Chief Dokuro in case that it was her angry at Elsie for not reporting in. As she continued to apologize and bow in fear, the figure sweat dropped.

"Oi, Elsie, you should stop now," a feminine voice said as the figure tried to hide her face from embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry! I- eh?" Elsie finally looked up, gazing at the person that was standing proudly above her.

The girl in question was around Elsie's height, albeit a little taller. Her blue-violet hair flowed smoothly behind her back, reaching all the way to her waist. In her hand, a three bladed scythe could be seen. She was using her purple raiment to hide her presence, making Elsie look even more like a fool in front of everyone.

"Y-You can stop now, please," she muttered bashfully.

"Haqua!" Elsie cheered happily, suddenly standing up and hugging her classmate. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just- uh… strolling around when I bumped into you," Haqua lied.

In truth, Chief Dokuro had forced her to watch over Elsie for a few days. After all, the clumsy demon was obviously random and unpredictable. If anything, no one would ever be able to guess what she would do next. That was why Haqua du Lot Herminium was tasked with this pointless job. They didn't want another Atlantis incident.

It wasn't like Haqua was going to get a Loose Soul anytime soon, anyway.

"Wow, you're in the Runaway Spirit Squad too?" Elsie admired her role model, prompting Haqua to boast about how she was not only a member of the squad, but a District Chief to boot.

"But enough about me, what are you doing?" Haqua asked with a ticked off expression. "Why aren't you using your raiment to hide your presence like we were taught? People could see you doing something weird, you know?"

"Ah, s-sorry!" Elsie apologized before quickly using it to turn invisible, making several people stare wide-eyed as she disappeared from view.

"Well, where's this buddy of yours that I heard about?" Haqua asked, knowing full well of what was happening to Elsie.

"Well, not technically my buddy," Elsie said as she pointed to where Keima's class was. "But Chief Dokuro said that he will be either way. Right now, I was told to just observe him…"

Haqua used her raiment to zoom in on the class, spotting the only boy that was still in class. As always, he was busy playing with his PFP like his life depended on it, which might as well be true. Looking at the scene in sadness, Haqua heaved a heavy sigh.

"He looks pathetic… Just how is that guy going to get a Loose Soul?"


	3. PROGRESS

Ayumi was, and always will be, an honest girl. She was honest to people, a fact that some people tend to abuse due to her inability to think up of lies on the spot. She was honest about her thoughts, tending to keep quiet if something was not to her liking. She was even honest about her feelings… Well, most of the time. That's why she actually meant it when she said that she would make it up to Keima. Of course, that glasses-wearing Gamer would never bat an eyelid at something as simple as snacks as a form of apology.

Anyone else would have called her their best friend if they even received a packet of gum. Of course, that was a terrible example to give, but who cares?

That's why she felt pretty damn good about herself when she went to Track practice. She had made it up to the boy and wouldn't have to speak to him again anytime soon, injuring her pride any more than it already was. She even managed to do so without attracting any unwanted rumors!

She breathed in the fresh scent of the track field and beamed. After all, this was her turf. She could run around all she wanted and didn't need to worry about crashing into any form of stone pillar or wall that obstructed her path. Those things have enough holes in them now thanks to Ayumi that she almost won an award for 'Most Property Damage in School'.

Almost.

She still questioned why the teachers won't let her wear spikes on her indoor shoes, though. I mean, million dollar idea alert, right?

"Hey, Ayumi!"

"Wait up!"

The Runner slowed down somehow as she heard her name being called. Two people appeared behind her, both sporting the same white sports tee and red shorts that she did. Miyako and Izumi were both struggling to catch up to their friend, and was glad when she actually slowed down instead of finishing the lap and meeting them from behind. Seriously, who does that?

"Talk of the school, Ayumi!" Izumi gleefully let out a chuckle "And here you are, not even giving a care in the world! How do you do that?"

"Eh, talk of the school?" Ayumi said with an obviously fake smile. "What are you guys talkin' 'bout?"

Her two friends sighed at their friend's disability in lying. They finished the lap and sat at the sidelines, watching the other members of the club racing around the track field.

"It's probably nothing, Izumi," Miyako said with her trademark smile. "You know how Ayumi's like with everyone, right? She probably just feels really sorry for ditching Otamegane on the rooftop."

"You worded that terribly," replied the spiky-haired girl. "You made it sound like she stood him up or something. Well, at least all that's all cleared up now, right? Don't worry, these things will die out in a few days tops."

"Mm-hmm!" agreed Ayumi.

"Why are we even talking about this?" Miyako added. "I mean, the Track Meet's coming up, and Ayumi's running in it!"

"You're gonna do fine, Ayumi!" was Izumi's response. "You're the pride of the school, right? Go and show 'em who's boss!"

The three friends laughed as they went back to the field, going for another lap.

Unbeknownst to them, they were being closely observed by two Demons, hiding in plain sight by using their raiments. Well, one of them was. The other, pony-tailed Demon thought that covering her face with a bunch of leaves was a valid way of hiding. There were some whispers about "That weird girl that disappeared into thin air yesterday", and Haqua was trying her best not to test her scythe on her former classmate.

The District Chief looked towards the general direction of the school building, and used her raiment to easily detect Keima. To her surprise (or lack thereof), he was still gaming. Honestly, there was a limit to how obnoxious a guy could be! How was ANY girl going to fall for a guy like him? Well, that girl must be either really dense, really stupid, or just plain masochistic.

She pitied that girl so very much.

Still, she had a job to do, and her buddy was probably better off on her own. Right now, she needed to help Elsie… pair these two up. She still did not understand why they had to resort to the 'love' alternative, but whatever. For now, she needed to give these two an incentive to talk to each other more.

"Elsie," Haqua called out to her bubbly sidekick. "I'm gonna do something, so don't act too surprised, 'kay?"

"Eh?"

Without warning, Haqua attacked the God of Conquests with her raiment, allowing it to zoom straight towards the clueless boy at mach speed. Anyone who was caught in the attack would have been pierced through and died an unknown death with a hole in their chest. Sadly, Haqua couldn't have that bit of fun. Nooo, she had to make sure the bastard LIVED. Therefore, she attacked the boy's other life source, his beloved PFP.

She had aimed well. Instead of destroying it (Oh, how she wished she could have. That thing was starting to annoy her), Haqua had managed to simply graze it, knocking it flying out of Keima's hand as if a sudden gust of wind had appeared and attacked them. And by gust of wind, I mean an insane, spear shaped gust of wind that had a hatred for Keima and only Keima for wasting her, I mean its, precious time.

God's nutrition was flying away, causing the bespectacled deity to yell in surprise as he tried to make a dash for it. Once again, Haqua's aim was perfect. She had calculated the precise angel and speed she needed to send the PFP sailing towards its-

**SMASH **

"What the-?"

-demise.

Ayumi, who had just finished her break and decided to run another lap just because she can even though it was the 3rd Year's turn on the track, had suddenly kicked something squarish and plastic, unable to stop in time to avoid it. Added with her muscular leg strength, said item was blown to smithereens before anyone even had a say about it. Finally, the girl managed to skid to a stop just in time to crash into a certain boy who had fallen down the stairs as soon as the expensive block of plastic and metal was destroyed.

"NO!" Keima screamed to the heavens, hoping that it would realize his title of God of Conquest and fix his beloved. "My PFP! I… Wha… No… You…"

Keima's glare was fixated on the girl with her hair tied into a side-ponytail.

"You…! Why do you keep interfering with my games, you Real Woman?! Now how am I going to return to my beloved Virtual World?"

Originally, Ayumi had considered apologizing to Keima. After all, she had practically blown it apart just with a kick. Still, that comment about her being a 'Real Woman' somehow offended her, making her quickly ditch that idea and resort to kneeing the boy in the stomach, pushing him farther back.

"Hey, you're the one who dropped it! Maybe if you focused on walking instead of that PFP of yours, this wouldn't have happened!" Ayumi shouted at the top of her lungs. "And what the heck do you mean, 'Real Woman'?!"

"Tch, it's not something someone like you would understand. Girls in the Real are so imbalanced and unreliable. Their parameters are all messed up and they never act according to how you want them to. Just where's the fun in that?!"

"I have no idea what you just said, but I bet it's insulting!"

"Enough," Keima released a sigh, hoping to keep his cool "We're getting nowhere by fighting, and I would have to return home to acquire another PFP. Goodbye."

Ayumi watched as Keima suddenly walked off, readily prepared to drop off his huge ego and just get back to his gaming life. In any other case, Ayumi would have chased after the boy and gave him a swift kick to the back for treating her like trash even though she had tried to be friendly to him. This time, though, she found herself unable to do so. She could just stand there and wonder what just happened.

As she knelt down to pick up the broken device, cursing his owner in the process, she felt a lump form in her throat. She was usually real good at spreading camaraderie. In fact, she had even approached Keima to apologize for her own rude behavior, something he didn't even acknowledge. Did it shatter his over-swollen pride that much just to say a simple 'thank you'?

Before she could answer that question, though, she felt the ominous shadows of three people appear behind her.

"Heard your little lovers' spat," the girl in the middle said with a scornful expression. "You guys just broke up or what?"

"Eh, we're not… together…" Ayumi tried to defend herself, but was completely outclassed.

Before her stood three Third Year students, all of whom were members of the Track Team. Ayumi suddenly felt powerless. Any sort of spunk or flare that she had was quickly dimmed down and put out. These three meant business, and she knew what it was about. "Still, breaking up with a guy doesn't mean that you could use the track even though it's the Third Year students' turn" the senior on the right said, glaring daggers at the terrified sophomore.

"S-Sorry, but it's just that the Track Meet was coming up, and I wanted to-"

"To what? Train?" The third said with a haughty laugh. "You just got lucky when you ran in front of the coach and got a good time for once, Junior. If you think training any harder's gonna help you out during the Meet, then you're very mistaken."

"20 laps around the field," the leader of the trio said, no, commanded as they walked away, leaving a scared Ayumi behind.

The Runner looked at the pieces of the PFP in her hand, hoping that it would somehow magically whisk away her anxiety. Sadly, the world was hardly ever that magical. With a heavy heart, she placed the pieces into one pile and started to do her 20 laps, knowing that her seniors would never even care whether or not she would finish them. From the corner of her eye, she saw her two friends casting worried glances at her.

Look at the bright side, though. At least Ayumi could run to her heart's desire.

Somewhere at the entrance, Keima leaned against the wall as he had observed everything that had occurred. If this was a Dating Sim, he would have already understood the route and proceeded to go to the Best Ending. However, there were still a few pieces missing to the puzzle. Anyway, he wasn't even planning on conquering Ayumi, let alone any Real girls.

Turning around to resume his journey home, his mind recapped on what had just occurred during his spat with Ayumi.

"It was there again…" he mused to himself "That blue mist…"

It seemed to have gotten larger, too. Keima, though, had no idea on how he was going to handle that situation, so he decided to let it slide. It was, of course, the sudden sighting of the blue mist that made Keima turn heel and leave. Somehow, he knew that it was trouble for him.

He also knew that he would never get away from it.

Deep inside, Keima knew that he needed to get serious. For once, he needed to work in the Real World and escape the beauty and peace of the Virtual World. If he didn't get rid of that blue mist, he was sure that it would pose a threat to him.

"Haqua! Haqua! Did you see that?! That PFP just suddenly flew out of his hand and went ZOOOM! And suddenly it was KABLAM! And then-"

"Elsie…"

"Haqua! Wait up! We're both following the same person, you don't have to go so fast!"

There also seems to be two people tailing him, but he'll leave that for later.


	4. ERROR

"Why…?"

It has already been half an hour, yet Ayumi still couldn't explain why she had done such a thing.

In her hands right now was a plastic bag which contained a brand new PFP, not to mention a memory card filled with the same games which were available in the one she had destroyed. The total cost was phenomenal! She might not be able to treat herself to anything for the rest of the month, maybe even the whole year!

Hell, she might have to start working part-time to get her money back.

She had not told her parents of this. They would never agree to buying something expensive for the sake of someone else, especially if that person wasn't even that close to her and basically ignores and insults her on a daily basis. However, her conscience had told her otherwise. It was her who had destroyed Keima's PFP and shattered it into smithereens. She needed to compensate.

She was strongly against it at first. Her hard-headed personality shouted at her, saying that he deserved it anyway. She would have went along with it, cursing that damn game otaku to Hell, if it wasn't for a small piece of her mind, telling her to make up with him. She even swore that her own reflection seemed to be talking back to her at times. Ayumi sighed as she wondered just how much stress she must be going through to start hallucinating this much.

'_Stress, that's right._' Thought Ayumi to herself as she held the plastic bag tighter in her grip '_And it's all because of that track meet! I bet that after the whole thing is over, I'll start to calm down._'

Maybe she'll regret the decisions she made right now, but those experiences would make for a good laugh in a few months, maybe years' time. If anything, she would just have to put up with her three seniors, as well as Keima, for a few more days. Then she could return to her normal life.

She wanted to believe that, she honestly did. However, a sudden sense of dread started to overwhelm her. What if Keima didn't want the PFP? What if she lost the track meet? What if her parents found out about her buying the gaming console and would yell at her all night for it?

Unbeknownst to her, as dark thoughts kept plaguing her mind, a blue mist started enveloping her body, invisible to the human eye. It kept filling her with despair and depression. The mist was large, enormous in fact by normal Loose Soul standards. The more pressure Ayumi's mind underwent, the stronger the Loose Soul would become. It was practically rolling with joy now. It had chosen a good host, it would need only a few more days before it could grow into a Level 4 spirit.

That fated day, was the day of the track meet.

With her mind still full of hatred and disgust at herself, Ayumi was totally zoned out until someone bumped into her, knocking her onto the hard pavement floor. Her yelp of surprise was cut short, though, as she noticed that the plastic bag she was holding had disappeared from her grasp. No, there was no way that this could happen! The school runner forced her head to the location where the mysterious person had run off to. She stifled a horrified scream as she noticed what was going on.

"Hey! Give that back!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, making the thief sprinted even faster.

The expensive console she had just bought was in the hands of the thief, currently swerving through human traffic and making a grand escape with great skill. What boggled Ayumi even more was the fact that nobody wanted to help her. In fact, they all only stared at her in confusion. It was as if he was a phantom, invisible to everyone save herself.

Ayumi quickly wondered whether she really was facing a phantom.

Still, Ayumi knew she had the upper hand. Her speed would surely help her out at a time like this; she could easily catch up to that person, no problem! The only thing standing between her and her stolen PFP, though, was a different story altogether. Humans had crowded the streets, civilians who had just finished their own shopping or were lazing around the streets with their friends. They would surely hinder her progress, not to mention make it harder for her to catch the thief.

No, she couldn't think like that now. She needed to catch that rotten thief and get her months' worth of allowance back.

A wild yell escaped her lips as Ayumi sprinted fast through the crowds. People moved out of the way, swerving left and right and jumping back just as the brunette was about to crash into them. Screams of panic and surprise resonated through the district, passing on the story of the Runner who was in chase of something they could not see.

The feeling of pure ecstasy filled Ayumi as she felt the rush of wind in her wild mane of hair. Yes, this was her turf, her skill, the one thing she had to her name. She could not, will not fail right now. Not even the knowledge of her almost crashing into a woman who was carrying a vase that screamed 'expensive and rare' could yield her actions now.

Things would have went her way, too, if it wasn't for the sudden sprain in her ankle.

Ayumi screamed. It was a beastly scream that any injured animal would have made if they were in pain. However, that was not the worst of her problems. Her frail form, laying down on the concrete ground as she held onto her burning ankle, slowly moved as she tried to look at the thief she was trying so hard to catch. However, her eyes only widened in shock at what she noticed.

In the moment it took for her to fall, the thief had disappeared into the wind.

In truth, Ayumi had felt like crying there and then. Why does nothing ever want to go her way? Just once, she wanted something good to happen to her. Anything would have sufficed - Anything at all. However, it was as if the world resented her for even dreaming of it. Her attempts at befriending the bespectacled God went astray, and she was made into the talk of the school. The track meet she had worked so hard for, it might as well have be for naught. Her seniors didn't even like her that much, anyway. Not to mention her grades were also plummeting.

Maybe it would have been better if she disappeared from this world.

Falling back onto the ground with a ferocious crash, Ayumi silently wept her misfortune. She did not feel much like getting up, and decided to stay there just a while longer. It didn't feel like anyone was watching her, too. Her pride, at least, was still intact.

"Oh my, what happened?!"

Or so she thought.

She felt the warm feeling of someone holding her, and soon said person had helped her up. However, Ayumi couldn't really see who that person was. Her eyes were too wet for her to detect the person in front of her. The kind individual, seeing the tears flowing down Ayumi's cheeks, took out a handkerchief and helped wipe her tears dry.

"Are you feeling better?" the person asked, feeling every bit of pity for the Runner.

"Mm…" was her quiet response.

When she was finally able to see properly, Ayumi looked at the kind soul who had helped her up. A woman with bright orange hair and glasses adorning her face stared back at her with a motherly gaze. It was as if a guardian angel had come to assist her in her time of need.

Thanking the lady, Ayumi decided that it was high time she returned home. Better to face her parents' wrath now rather than sooner. However, she winced painfully as soon as she raised her foot, making the woman worry for her even more.

"You're injured," the woman observed. "I live close by. Come on, let's get you all fixed up."

No complaints were exchanged as Ayumi allowed the elder lady to guide her to a café/house combo. As the two entered the building, a shrill ring could be heard. It was most probably the entrance bell, informing the workers that a customer had entered. However, something felt wrong. Ayumi noted that there were no workers, not to mention there were no customers as well.

No matter how important that seemed at the moment, Ayumi knew that her injury was the priority here. The lady had helped her onto a sofa with minimal protests. She then ran to the kitchen and returned a few moments later with an ice pack which the woman placed onto her swelling ankle. A pleased sigh was released as Ayumi could feel her injury start to quell.

"Thank you, Miss…?"

"Mari," the woman answered. "Katsuragi Mari."

Now _that_ caught Ayumi by surprise.

"Katsuragi?" asked the girl as she tried to sit comfortably on the sofa, "You don't happen to be related to, um… Katsuragi Keima, are you?"

"Keima? He's my son, why do you- Oh!" Mari quickly realized her obliviousness as she finally took notice of the girl's school uniform. "You're Keima's friend, aren't you?"

"Friend is a really strong word," Ayumi corrected. "We're just classmates."

It surprised Ayumi to no end. Who knew that Otamegane, the lone gamer otaku, self-proclaimed God of Conquest, actually had a mother as kind and beautiful as this? In fact, she didn't even know that Keima lived in a café. Nobody did, probably. That guy never talks to anyone, after all.

However, being in the home of the person she had wanted to pay back made Ayumi feel rather uncomfortable. Adding the rumors spreading around the school into account, and not to mention the way they had parted ways that very evening, she wasn't sure if she was ready to meet Keima just yet. Maybe, if the PFP she had bought was not stolen right under her nose, Ayumi would have felt calmer, too.

"I'll call Keima down," Mari suggested with a wide smile, as if she had been waiting for this opportunity since forever. "I'll bet he'll be surprised to meet a friend here!"

Before Ayumi even had the chance to stop her, Mari had run upstairs to fetch her son. The injured girl could do nothing as she stayed there, laying on the couch of someone she had just been in a fight with. To try and hide her embarrassment, Ayumi managed to grab a pillow and hide her face beneath it.

It took five whole minutes before a reaction could be heard from upstairs, albeit it wasn't a reaction she had expected. Mari, who at this point of time was a kind and gentle person in Ayumi's eyes, suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs in a tone that Ayumi could only describe as violent. There was the sound of things being thrown and feet storming off in various directions before the sound suddenly ceased. Several seconds later, the woman had returned downstairs with her hair down and her spectacles missing, although she still wore her friendly smile.

Keima, who had dragged his feet down, seemed to have gone through Hell and back. He flopped onto the single sofa beside the one Ayumi was resting on, and directed his gaze at the girl.

"Well then, Keima," Mari started. "I hope you have a nice time with your classmate!"

The mother and leader of the Katsuragi household had walked over to the kitchen, where she would prepare dinner. Or wash the non-existent blood off her hands. Or both. Ayumi was leaning on both.

The two teenagers stayed in silence for a while. For Ayumi, it was because she could not believe that she had been assisted by Keima's mother and was now facing the very person she had wanted to apologize to. The sudden emotional whiplash was also still lingering in her mind. As for Keima, it was merely just the disbelief that in all of the student body, Ayumi was the one who wound up injured in his own home and had to see his mother's true self.

"This has 'bad Dating Sim' written all over it," Keima muttered to himself before turning to the Runner. "I always thought you were indestructible, since you crashed and destroyed walls and pillars on a daily basis. What happened?"

"Hey, I was chasing after this bastard who took my stuff!" Ayumi huffed.

"I'm guessing the contents of your items are undisclosable?"

"Sort of…"

Ayumi blushed madly as she wondered just what was going on. Keima of all people was holding a conversation with her, even if it seemed more like an interrogation rather than two people chatting. He didn't seem to be playing a game, either. His mother must have done something, and Ayumi was terrified to know what.

Another thing that kept bugging Ayumi was the fact that Keima had this intense glare in his eyes, as if he was trying to analyse something. However, Ayumi did not feel as if the glare was directed at her. It was more like whatever Keima was staring at, it was in her general direction.

Ayumi was just about to say something when…

"Has something been troubling you, Ayumi?"

Wait, what?!

"N-N-No-Nothing!" stuttered the petrified girl. "Wh-Why would y-y-you think so?!"

"You don't seem like your usual self today," he answered "Usually, you would talk a whole lot more and laugh at the most absurd things. In Dating Sims, this is usually a Flag that you need to overcome in order to raise the parameters of the Heroine. Obviously, something is bothering you emotionally."

"Don't compare real life to a game!" Ayumi shouted at the top of her lungs. She could not believe how Keima could analyse her like that. "Honestly, what are you? My psychiatrist?! And what about you? You don't talk to people, and you're usually playing one of your games right now."

"Hey, you HEARD what happened upstairs, and you really think she'd let me bring one down after all that?"

He had a point there.

Ayumi huffed and turned the other way around, not wanting to look at Keima face to face. The boy, however, had obviously already pieced everything together. Although it seemed rather unlikely, Keima knew that the source of all this madness had something to do with those two invisible girls who kept following him. His eyes were still locked onto Ayumi, although it wasn't because of some obscure reason such as thinking that she was beautiful or seeing a mole on her face. No, it was because he saw it again, that blue mist.

It seemed to be larger now, and this worried Keima to no end. Sure, he did not have any connections to Ayumi, but the fact that he alone could see it was a cause for concern. He noted that the larger that thing became, the more moody and self-deprecating Ayumi acted. Now was probably the best time for him to act – Not to conquer Ayumi, but to stop that thing from taking over her body or something. Some Dating Sims had this as their plot – Increase the Heroine's parameters to stop the Big Bad from winning.

Keima swiftly stood up and walked into the kitchen. This made Ayumi glance at the general direction of the kitchen in concern. She didn't know what he was up to, so that worried her. That was when Keima soon came out holding two cups of coffee. As he placed one on the table in front of the couches, he sat down and drank his own cup.

"Drink," Keima invited "It should make you feel better."

Praying that nothing would happen when she drank it, Ayumi slowly picked up the cup and took a sip. Then another. And then a huge gulp that swallowed the entire contents of the cup.

"This coffee's too good!" Ayumi exclaimed in surprise. "Everything I drank before tastes like mud water!"

"It's a special blend, glad that you enjoyed it." Deadpanned Keima as he finished his own cup.

There was no more conversation after they had finished, filling the room with a heavy atmosphere. It was practically unbearable. Ayumi was used to being surrounded by noise. Even if she was studying in her room, she would blast the music on her radio to the max. Silence wasn't something she could really cope with.

Keima, on the other hand, preferred the silence. The only noises he accepted came from the Virtual World, and since he didn't have that luxury at the moment, he would prefer it to be quiet. He was fully aware of Ayumi's shift in mood. Obviously, he knew that he had managed to overcome one of the many Flags in the Runner's route.

"K-Keima…"

"Hm?" Keima looked at the injured girl with a neutral gaze.

"I'm… I'm sorry for, you know, what happened at school just now," Ayumi was trying her best to not look at Keima in the eyes, so she decided to face the pretty couch instead "I just don't know what came over me."

"Doesn't matter. I have other spares in case something like that happened."

"Wait, you predicted your PFP was going to be smashed by me?!"

"Always expect the unexpected. In Dating Sims, a surreal event occurring is usually a-"

"Oh, shut up."

The two continued to talk as Keima observed the blue mist. For some reason, it started to waver, slowly shrinking to a smaller size. That is, if you consider a few centimeters as a smaller size. Perhaps, Keima thought, despair was what fed the invisible thing. He would just have to keep this up for some time, and then maybe he could return to his uneventful, gaming life.

"You're going to run in the track meet in a few days, right?"

That sentence suddenly made Ayumi shiver, earning an insightful look from the God of Conquest.

Jackpot.

Meanwhile, a certain clueless demon was weeping in confusion as her purple haired friend scolded her. She didn't know what it was all about, something about being extremely conspicuous. In her defense, the demon said that she had made sure that no one else saw her.

"And now people would think that Ayumi is insane and was chasing a _flying plastic bag_."

"Huh, I knew I forgot something."


	5. SAVE GAME

The first thing Keima noticed when he entered the classroom was Ayumi's empty chair.

"What…?"

Now, this was surprising in many ways.

For one thing, Ayumi seemed to be getting better after the incident with her falling and spraining her ankle, which happened a few days ago. After that event, the two had been on friendly terms. Well, sort of. They did converse more often. Although, he didn't expect that she would be skipping school any time soon.

The other surprising fact was that Keima was actually in search of the runner. Honestly, what was going on with him? She was a real woman! Just what would have possessed the God of Conquest to take interest in something from the 3D world?

Lowering his trusty PFP, the God of the gaming world walked up to someone which he was sure would keep track of Ayumi's whereabouts. As much as he despised the idea of conversing with someone else from the real world, this person was on a whole other level.

"Oi, Chihiro," Keima said quietly as his fingers pressed away on the latest dating sim, currently attempting to conquer a young Dragon Tamer. "Have you seen Ayumi around?"

Chihiro, the class' number one normal girl, looked at Keima skeptically. She blinked. She rubbed her eyes. She blinked again. Then, with a light palm, she slapped Keima square on the cheek, causing him to scream in agony. When he managed to stand up again, his right cheek was blazing red.

"Hey, what was that for, you real woman?!" His fury knew no bounds as he slammed his left hand on Chihiro's table.

"Ah, sorry, but I was just worried I was still asleep," Chihiro grinned cheekily and returned to the magazine she was reading.

"You should slap your own face to prove that wrong!"

"Yeah, like I'd do that," Chihiro rolled her eyes in annoyance. "And anyway, why would you of all people care about Ayumi? You hate talking with people, so why are you suddenly looking for her?"

God's temper was wearing thin. He had to lower his own pride just to talk this lowlife… Chihiro, yet all she could do was make a snarky response? She should be hung for her insolence! If only he had the chance, Keima would have made sure this commoner would regret ever avenging the fury of the God of Conquest!

No, this wasn't the time for that. Right now, he was more worried about what may have happened to Ayumi. A sudden chill came slipping down Keima's spine.

He was worried about a real girl…

There was no denying it anymore. The cheerful runner had managed to snugly place herself inside Keima's mind, and that on itself was worrisome. This was all that blue mist's fault! If that thing never existed, then he would never have even glanced at another real person as long as he lived!

A soft sigh escaped from his lips, thinking back to what has happened ever since Ayumi visited his home unannounced.

"Yo, Keima! Mornin'!" Ayumi would cheerfully greet Keima at the school gate.

The bespectacled boy initially ignored the greeting, only raising a hand just for the sake of replying her. The way she spoke was too informal, too friendly. It was as if they had been childhood friends or something. What was stranger was the fact that she had casually referred to him with his given name, and not the usual nickname that everyone called him by, Otamegane. The students who were nearby started whispering to each other, no doubt spreading more rumors to torment the boy.

Not that it worried Ayumi, though.

On the way to class, the runner would talk about some random topic or another. Keima, obviously, made no reply. He was too focused on the dating sim he was playing, at that time trying to conquer a Magical Girl who wielded a chainsaw. Yet, he was always listening. The boy kept in mind everything that he has heard from Ayumi, and did nothing to push her away.

This has sparked a few topics between Ayumi and a couple of her friends. Miyako had once asked if anything happened between the two of them, yet all Ayumi did was laugh. She kindly denied the topic, saying that she was just trying to be friends with the lonely God. Nobody bought the excuse, but it was better than most of her other terrible excuses, so they let it pass. Since she wasn't stuttering or anything, it might have an ounce of truth in it.

When Keima wasn't around, though, things were different. Especially on the school field.

With the Track Meet looming even closer, Ayumi stepped up her practice sessions. However, she did this with heavy repercussions. Her seniors always scolded her, telling her that she was using the Third Years' practice time. Ayumi had been the target of many punishments. Every day, she would have to return home late after running around the track another 30 laps. She never protested, though. Ayumi would take these in stride and never said a word. If Miyako and Izumi spoke to her about it, she would only reply that she liked running, so it was fine.

Keima knew better. Every day, after school, he would stay and watch in the shadows. His face was covered by his trusty PFP, and no one even expected him to be watching the school field. However, he always was. From afar, he saw the despair in Ayumi growing stronger, which in turn made the blue mist larger and more fearsome.

The longer the days went, the more self-deprecating Ayumi became. She became more reserved, more quiet. She didn't even feel like running in the school halls anymore. Everyone had seen the change in the girl, yet no one had any idea how to help her. Even if they did, Ayumi would just tell them that she was fine and that they shouldn't worry about her. Keima had started warming up to Ayumi around this point, and with a heavy heart, had started her conquest route.

_'This is just to remove that blue mist,'_ Keima would think to himself. _'After all this is done, I'm cutting off all ties with her!'_

Talking to the victim was his first step. Keima, knowing that Ayumi would never talk about her feelings to others due to her nature, had taken the initiative to start conversations instead. In his own way, Keima had made sure that the blue mist would start shrinking back by giving Ayumi hope. He knew that the more she believed in herself, the weaker that mist would be. He has played a game or two with the same theme. Of course, he couldn't do anything about the seniors. That was a hurdle Ayumi would have to cross herself.

"The only one that's holding you back," Keima once said "is yourself."

Ayumi looked at the boy in confusion. Was this the same otaku gamer who would never raise his eyes from his beloved dating sims, and has been blacklisted by all the teachers and students for his behavior?

Yesterday, before parting ways at the classroom, Ayumi had grinned toothily, saying that she had Track practice to go too, so she couldn't chat for long. With a smile that wide, Keima thought that he was on a roll, and would soon be able to end the conquest in his favor. Sure, he would have to watch her again, but his mother had left him with an errand to run.

Keima never knew that he had failed to stop the blue mist, until now.

"Chihiro, please…" Keima muttered, unsure of what to do now. "If you have any information, anything at all that would tell me where Ayumi is, then I'd be grateful to you. There's nothing more that I ask for. Just please, help me…"

He wanted to yell, yet he knew that that would only incite Chihiro's rage. She hated Keima with every fiber of her being. If Keima acted humble now, he could at least get the girl to answer his request without much hassle.

This was a surprise to everyone in class who was watching. Chihiro, blinking furiously at the gamer, quietly considered just how honest Keima truly was. Sure, he had gone out of his way to ask her, a 'real girl,' for help. Not to mention she had been hearing the rumors that Keima and Ayumi had been friendlier as of late.

She didn't know what, but something inside her broke.

"She was fine," Chihiro started, lowering the magazine and putting it on the desk "When I was talking with her on the phone yesterday, after school, she sounded fine. She said that she was just a bit tired out from practicing for the Track Meet tomorrow. She must be having a fever or something. You know, from stress."

"Thank you," was Keima's response "That information is enough."

Chihiro looked at Keima in wonder as she considered just what was going through his mind.

Fixing his glasses, he sat down on his desk on continued playing his PFP. Right now, all he needed was patience. He couldn't do anything until school was over, anyway. In his mind, he carefully picked apart everything that he knew about Ayumi's dilemma.

The Track Meet was tomorrow, that was for sure. That would mean that Ayumi must be at her limit. Putting aside all the stress her seniors were placing her in, Ayumi also had to undergo mental trauma and the fear of failure. She must have been practicing her feet off to make sure that she got a good time so she could win the Gold medal.

Right now, with that blue mist residing in her, she must not be thinking straight. He noticed it after talking to her for the past few days. Her mind was dead set on berating herself, saying just how worthless she would be if she ran tomorrow. In any situation, that would have been dangerous. Keima has played games where that event usually turned into a suicide scene, where he would have to convince the heroine that she wasn't worthless. However, this couldn't be the case.

That blue mist must have entered Ayumi's body because it wanted something. It would never allow the girl to go ahead and kill herself. However, his thoughts were cut short as Nikaido-sensei entered the classroom, ready to start homeroom.

Keima managed to get through the class without much hassle. All he did was act like himself; not saying a single word and focusing on his PFP. Sure, he had his head slammed by a book… twice, but for everyone else, this was a perfectly normal scene.

He would have stayed that way for the entire school day if it wasn't for the little interruption that appeared halfway through homeroom.

"Psst, Kami-sama!" a high-pitched voice whispered loudly. "Over here, hurry!"

Nobody seemed to have noticed the girl, yet Keima was sure that her voice was audible for the entire class to hear. When he glanced at the door, he saw a girl with a cute baby face in a purple garment. In her hand was a hilariously old-fashioned broom, although it seemed to have been 'upgraded.' Even though he has never seen the girl in all his life, Keima knew that voice. It was the voice of one of his stalkers for the entirety of the week.

Glancing at his teacher, he wondered if she would allow him to leave just like that. Surprisingly, he saw Nikaido-sensei glaring at him, as if asking him 'What are you going to do now, Katsuragi?'

Well, what else was he going to do? Any sane person with his life at stake would have the same thing going through his mind.

_'No saving or loading, no backtracking, and only one play through,'_ Keima thought, ready to go with his mission. _'Just what kind of conquest is this?!'_

Keima quickly raised his hand and stood up, attracting the entire class' attention.

_'Otamega would never attract attention to himself,'_ Chihiro stared at the God of Conquest in surprise. _'What the heck is going on?'_

"Sensei, can I go to the toilet?" Keima asked with a determined face, making everyone facepalm at how idiotic that sounded.

If real life had BGM, there would be epic hero music accompanying him right now. However, these commoners would never appreciate just how awesome the scene really is.

Nikaido-sensei looked at the bespectacled boy, as if assessing the situation. She then glanced at the door as if it was guilty of murder. She already knew what she had to do.

"You don't have to tell the entire class, you dimwit," Nikaido-sensei said with her harsh tone directed towards Keima. "If you need to go that bad, then get on with it."

Nodding his head, Keima left the class calmly with his PFP in tow. As he opened the door, he caught sight of Nikaido-sensei staring at him. He didn't dare admit it, but Keima swore that he saw the slightly sadistic teacher grin. That was a terrifying thought indeed.

Shutting the door tight behind him, the God of Conquest didn't see the girl from before. Turning right, he stayed true to his word and headed straight for the toilet. However, he knew that he was being followed closely behind. Even if the person had turned invisible somehow, he could sense her presence. No, there were two people now, following behind him. As he reached the male restrooms, Keima entered it without hesitation. The door stood ajar for a while longer, signalling that the other two had entered as well.

"Eh, I'm in a boy's toilet!" the high-pitched one said in embarrassment. "I'll never be able to live this down!"

"Honestly, Elsie," the other, more mature voice rebutted "We have no time for this right now."

"But my pride!"

Before Keima could get a word in, two figures emerged in front of him. One was the familiar childish girl that was calling him from the door. The other looked as if she was the same age, but emitted an aura that showed just how reliable and wise she truly was. Her purple hair, the most striking thing about her appearance, was stroked back in an elegant matter. She was holding a scythe in one hand, which raised a lot of interesting questions from Keima.

If he hadn't already been expecting them, or was worrying too much, Keima would have gaped at the scene in front of him. However, he managed to keep his cool. Continuing to play with his PFP, Keima spoke up.

"At last we meet," he muttered to no one in particular.

"You noticed us, I'm impressed," the purple-haired girl replied. "Although, with Elsie here, I sort of expected that. ("Hey, I'm right here!" Elsie protested.) First things first, introductions. I'm Haqua, District Chief of the Runaway Spirit Squad. This is my friend and subordinate, Elsie."

"Hello, Kami-sama!" the cheerful girl waved.

"We were told to monitor you and Ayumi for the past week, as you might have guessed," Haqua carried on with the explanation. "Now is a crucial time for you to strike, you know. If there's anything we could help you with, we'll be glad to help."

Too convenient, that was what Keima thought. If they had just appeared out of nowhere, Keima would never trust them. After all, in games, strangers appearing in times of crisis are 100% suspicious. No doubt about it. However, they appeared much earlier. In fact, he was willing to bet that they were around since the very beginning. Now that was a different matter entirely.

Right now, no matter what the circumstance might be, he would have to trust these girls.

"Who are you," Keima asked straight to the point. No point in taking any detours now. "And what is your connection to the blue mist that was surrounding Ayumi?"

"Sheesh, do you have to be so hard? I mean, we're sort of short on time here…" Haqua muttered in annoyance, only for Keima to glare daggers at her. "We're demons from Hell who are tasked with capturing Loose Souls which reside in the gaps formed in the hearts of girls. That blue mist you noticed is the Loose Soul that has been residing inside Ayumi, and you might have seen just how powerful it has become."

In any normal situation, Keima would have denied their statement. Honestly, demons from Hell? That was absurd! But then again, they did just appear out of thin air. Glancing at their feet, Keima also noted that they were, in fact, hovering. Well, damn. Guess there was nothing he could do about it right now. Plus, the way Haqua kept stating that they were running low on time was worrying Keima. Putting aside his logical reasoning, Keima opted to believe her explanation. For now, that is.

"How big is the Loose Soul in Ayumi right now?" he asked instead, trying to assess just how much danger he was in right now.

"I'm not so sure about this, but judging by the size, it might have already become a Level 4 Weiss," this time, Elsie answered with a worried expression. "If we leave it alone, it might finally manage to possess Ayumi's body!"

"A Loose Soul's main target is to grow within the gaps in those maidens' hearts." Haqua took over "It will be reincarnated as the child of the girl that they possessed, and we're talking about a demon here. It won't end up as a common criminal or anything."

"Tch, just my luck…" Keima clicked his tongue in annoyance. He wanted to complain and tell them off about how irrational all this was, but he couldn't. "I never signed up for this! Seriously, couldn't someone else do it?"

"Well, Kami-sama did get the contract from Chief Dokuro…" Elsie scratched her head.

"That message?!" the sudden memory of the letter of challenge from a few days ago entered Keima's mind. "I deleted it! Why do I still have to go through all this?!"

"Because you're the only one who could, that's why," Haqua replied as if it was the most obvious answer in the world, one which Keima alone didn't know.

Keima furiously continued to play his game, thinking about how unfair this whole situation is. He declined the contract, so that means he should have already been free of its burden. If he was still supposed to go around and win Ayumi's heart, the contract shouldn't have even existed in the first place! Talk about a breach of manners.

"Do you know where Ayumi is, then?" Keima finally said, knowing just how futile his argument would be. "And even if you do, how do you expect me to remove the loose soul? And how can I get there during school hours, anyway?! It's impossible!"

"Well, we could make a doppelganger for Kami-sama with our raiment…" Elsie muttered as she raised her pink celestial robe. "And for the method of removal, a kiss would suffice…" (Keima almost fell when he heard that statement.) "As for the location…"

As soon as Elsie told him, Keima knew that he could already see the ending. Pushing his glasses towards his face, Keima exited the restroom and headed towards the school entrance. Right now, whether he wanted to or not, he needed to win Ayumi's heart.

Just another daily occurrence for the God of Conquest. In a game, that is.


	6. END GAME

For the first time in his life, Keima worried about something other than his beloved dating sims and PFP.

For the first time in his life, Keima was risking his life for someone from the real world, specifically a real girl.

For the first time in his life, Keima didn't actually complain about the real world being shitty.

And for the first time in his life, Keima did not regret a single second of it.

As he flew through the streets invisibly, Keima finally accepted the truth that he was actually worried about Takahara Ayumi, the fastest runner in school. There was no denying it now. He wouldn't be looking for her if that wasn't the case.

Still, things were starting to turn into a manga series pretty fast. What with the sudden appearance of two demons and the knowledge of the loose soul inside Ayumi's body. Of course, Keima actually surprised both Haqua and Elsie when he showed no signs of worry or surprise when he heard of the news. But with a mind like his, can they really complain?

Now, as he was being lifted by the demons' raiments, he wondered what will become of this encounter. Surely this couldn't be the end. Hell wouldn't have been so desperate as to keep stalking the same person in order to help with the removal of the loose soul. After all, there were many legitimate replacements for him.

"We're getting closer!" Elsie stated as she managed the raiment containing the Capturing God. "Ayumi is just over there… I think!"

"What do you mean, 'you think'?!" was Keima's angry retort. He did not want to spend too much time on this conquest.

"Well, Ayumi is an athlete, right?" Haqua answered in place of Elsie "Usually, loose souls would take on their hosts most defining characteristics. People who like to read will find themselves reading non-stop. Girls who are shy will start to shrink. Some girls who are naturally violent will start murdering, in worst case scenarios. What do you think that means?"

"So she's running around the place, huh?" Keima thought it through. "And you calculated her route to this specific spot?"

"A human could only take so much before their stamina runs out," Haqua replied curtly.

Keima nodded, understanding the situation. No matter how powerful a loose soul is, they are still limited by the host's biological body. This would mean that he could overpower Ayumi if they ever came down to a fist fight. He may be a hopeless gamer, but he was still a man and considered that he could take down a girl simple enough.

But then again, her legs were a different matter altogether.

"Ah, I see her!" Elsie shouted, prompting Keima to squint his eyes at the place she was pointing at.

Sure enough, there she was. Ayumi, standing beside the local river as sweat poured through her body. She was panting heavily from the fatigue of running. He may not know how far she had run, but Keima guessed that it must have been through most of the town.

Slowly lowering Keima onto the ground, the devils flew back to hide within hearing range. It was the God of Conquest's direct orders that they do not bother him at all while he was trying to win Ayumi's heart unless he gave the signal. Elsie had questioned over and over again about the form that the signal would take, but Haqua and Keima had given up on trying to tell her.

He had planned this situation multiple times, going over the many games in his memory bank to correspond to the perfect way to rid Ayumi of the loose soul that was residing in her. But now that he was standing right here, Keima wondered if it would work. This was the first time he was going to try to conquer a real girl, after all. They were emotionally unstable enough as it is. But with a loose soul calling the shots, the fight might actually become even more dangerous.

Well, it was now or never.

"Ayumi!" Keima called out, prompting the girl to turn around and face him.

They were locked into a staring contest as both people were waiting for the next to make a move. In Keima's case, he could proceed with his pre-written script if things were going his way. In Ayumi's case, however, it was merely the loose soul in her heart that made her think vividly to the point of a total breakdown.

Keima had just opened his mouth to speak when Ayumi shouted with as much volume as she could make.

"I want to run!"

This made Keima step back for a moment. He had expected this answer from her. It wasn't rare for a game to feature a target who was possessed or in a possessed-like state. Even people who were attempting suicide are in similar states. Processing the information in his head, Keima quickly rerouted his options to one that most suited the situation.

"Then run to your heart's desire," he spoke with a cold gaze. "But what will that ever accomplish, I wonder?"

Ayumi stood rooted at her spot. Keima did not know who was currently in charge of the body, but Keima assumed that Ayumi's consciousness was at least aware of what was happening around her. He didn't want this to turn out to be a storyline where he would have to enter the girl's mind. That would be surreal.

It took a few moments before Ayumi finally reacted, running headfirst into the boy. Keima was thrown back from the hit, sending him crashing into the ground. As he tried to suppress the pain that was emanating from his chest, Keima bravely stood up and faced the possessed girl once more.

"Ayumi, I know you're in there!" he shouted, almost pleading to Ayumi, "If you truly are lost, you would have kicked me with all your strength!"

It was a point that Keima was trying to get across – Ayumi was not using her full strength. She could have easily beaten him and knocked him unconscious with a swift kick to his chest. There was always hope, especially when Keima was calling the shots.

"I want to run!" Ayumi cried out again as she wiped the tears that were starting to fill her eyes. "I just want to run…!"

"I know that," answered the gamer as he took a single step forward "And I will repeat it one more time; Run to your heart's desire."

Ayumi stood rooted in her spot as she stared at Keima with hollow eyes. She did not understand what Keima was trying to tell her and she was sure that there was a hidden meaning behind it. As the loose soul inside her start to waver, Keima made the next attack.

"But tell me, Ayumi, why do you want to run?"

She took a step back in surprise

"Is it the stress that your seniors are piling up on you? Is it the hopelessness you feel when you can't beat your own time? Is it the rumors that spread around the school? Now tell me, Ayumi, why do you want to run so much?"

"I… I just couldn't take it anymore…" Ayumi answered as more tears started to stream down her cheeks. "I can't do it! Everyone, everyone is expecting too much from me and I can't meet their expectations! And then all they keep doing is torture me more and more, I can't take it!"

Now, that was the answer Keima was looking for; the messed up illusion that the loose soul had made Ayumi think of. She had taken the image of her rather cruel seniors and plastered them all over the student body, even though they had nothing to do with it.

With the final piece in place, Keima fixed his glasses and stared intently at his target.

_'I can see the ending.'_

As Keima moved closer towards Ayumi, she crept backwards. She was feeling terrified and depressed, plus Keima's frontal assault was sending chills up her spine. However, there was this small piece of her, the piece of her mind that the loose soul did not control, that reached out to him.

"You've got it all wrong, Ayumi," Keima said as he hugged the girl tightly, hoping that she wouldn't fight back and unleash her rage "Nobody is forcing you to do anything. That's a fact that I'm willing to risk my life over. In fact, we're worried about you! I'm worried about you! So stop running away and stand your ground for once!"

The blue mist that symbolized the loose soul wavered as Keima's words started reaching Ayumi. In the background, hidden behind several sign boards, Elsie was shakily holding on to a plastic bag that Haqua had entrusted her with. Ever since Elsie had mentioned her stealing it from Ayumi, Keima had quickly pieced together another backup plan in case his was starting to fail.

She had always wondered what Keima's signal was going to be, and she was eager to find out. Could Keima suddenly shoot out lasers from his eyes, drawing a message in the sky? Or would he communicate using telepathy? In fact, Keima could even make the plastic bag teleport to his hands! He is a God, so he must be able to do anything!

She never expected Keima to come flying into the sign board she was hiding behind, leaving a dent in the stainless steel.

"Elsie!" whispered Haqua who was shrouded in her raiment "Now!"

"Eh, Wha?"

Haqua facepalmed at her clueless friend's antics and grabbed the plastic bag, throwing it into Keima's waiting hands. He should have worn a metal breastplate or something. Not like that could block the impact of Ayumi's trademark kick. In fact, it should be a move in a fighting game. It would be an amazing kick.

Heh, Amazing Kick. The most killer move in the game.

Still, Keima wasn't done with the conquest and the loose soul was starting to get the upper hand. Right now, he had one last resort. If this failed, then he can kiss ever conquering real girls goodbye and return to his life, probably as more of a shut-in and never leave his room to be with his dating sims.

Keima took the contents of the plastic bag out, revealing a new PFP 3000 that had come out in stores a few months back. Keima had considered buying it, but he opted that the older PFP 2000 would work anyway with all the newer games. He didn't need the console if he could still play the game, correct? And he had six of them as backups. He wouldn't need one for the time being.

But due to her lack of knowledge on games, Ayumi had bought this one. Since it was still a new product, the price was still high. Keima felt a little touched knowing that she was just daft enough to not find out that she could have bought a cheaper earlier model.

"Ayumi, remember this?" he opened the box and revealed the sparkling new PFP. "You bought it for me, didn't you?"

The possessed girl, who was still standing in the same spot with tears streaming down her face, stared ahead.

"You bought this for me back when you were at your worst condition, didn't you?" Keima was struggling to keep his legs straight from the pain, but he had to bear it for the time being. "You smashed my PFP open and you didn't run away then, why? You could have just left it at that, I told you that I didn't need a replacement! So why did you decide to stand by then and try to make it up to me?"

"B-Be-Because…"

"Because I didn't expect it, right?" Keima asked, making Ayumi take a step back. "I didn't have any high expectations from you, so you just did the right thing to do. You weren't just worried about being first in the race, you were worried about the high expectations people had of you from the start."

He limped closer towards Ayumi, dragging his numb feet across the ground. He had to finish this now, especially since he was already this close to the end. With one final spurt, Keima stopped right in front of Ayumi and placed the PFP in her hands.

"But… Why can't I run faster…?" Ayumi suddenly said.

Keima was relieved to hear that coming from her. The larger picture – the main source of her problem, was already gone. Instead, what was left were the smaller, trivial matters. He had an easy conquest now, and he was going to make the most of it.

"Does it matter?"

Ayumi was surprised at that statement. She would have shouted at Keima again had he not interrupted her, prompting her to be silent.

"Wouldn't it be fine if you just did your best? If you're worried about rankings…"

He released the PFP from his hands, leaving them in Ayumi's and slowly took off his glasses. As he looked at Ayumi with his pure gaze, she could feel her heart beat faster and faster, racing at a mile a minute. Grabbing Ayumi's shoulders, the blush on their faces couldn't be even more apparent.

"Then you've already place first in my heart."

He leaned his face closer to Ayumi's and the two shared their first kiss beside the beautiful river. It was a mess of confusion and apprehension, since both of them did not have any real life knowledge on the subject, but they made it work. For some reason, the kiss just felt right. It was the ultimate proof of their love.

When their lips parted, they stood there in utter silence. Neither one of them knew what to say. Although, Keima had made sure to prepare a script in case this situation arose. When he was about to speak, Ayumi suddenly let out a ghastly scream as she collapsed onto the ground, dropping the PFP onto the grass as she clenched her stomach tightly.

"Elsie, Haqua, what's going on?!" Keima shouted to the two demons who came hovering over

"We don't know! No loose soul has ever grown into a Level 4 Weiss!" Haqua said in a panic as she readied her scythe "Whatever comes out of her, we'll have to be ready!"

"Mm!" Elsie nodded as she held her broom tightly

Keima took a step back, knowing that what was about to transpire was not something that he, a mere human could handle. What came rocketing out of Ayumi's body was a beast as black as night, and with eyes that were the color of blood. The lean, sleek body of a huge jaguar that was looking at the trio with ferocity. What shook them most, though, was the face. It was Ayumi's face no matter how you look at it.

"So close… I was so close!" it roared, baring its sharp teeth at them.

"K-Kami-sama!" Elsie muffled a strained scream. "Th-That thing… I-It took on Ayumi's form!"

"So this is a Level 4, huh?" Haqua muttered. "Elsie, you distract it! I'll take it on with my container!"

"What?!"

Haqua shot into the sky, preparing her containment jar for the final attack. Elsie, on the other hand, was flying around the giant beast while trying to keep it at bay. She was doing terribly at it, though. More than once, Elsie was slashed and flailed away and had to hover back up with pain searing through her bloodied body. They were lucky that the area was currently empty. If a human were to see this, things would get out of hand quickly.

Seeing the intense battle take place, Keima tried to drag Ayumi's limp form away. However, he found it difficult to do so. It was weird. Was he really that weak that he couldn't drag a girl to safety? Forget trading blows, then. He was lucky it never came to that!

"Come on, Ayumi!" he pleaded angrily. "Get up and run!"

He heard the sound of glass breaking and turned to look at Haqua. Eyes widening in shock, Keima watched as Haqua's containment jar shattering into smithereens. No good! Was this loose soul so powerful that devils who were trained to catch them are having trouble?!

Not that he had any other past experiences to put that into consideration, though.

Finally knocking down both girls with its tail, the loose soul takes one good look at Keima and his unconscious partner, and growled. Keima knew that he was dead next, and Ayumi would probably be spared. There was a high probability that the loose soul would want to keep her as a vessel. With nothing else to lose, Keima hugged Ayumi tightly.

The tiger was just an arm's reach from them when a bright light suddenly shone from Ayumi's body, shielding her and Keima while knocking the loose soul backwards. Keima felt his grip on Ayumi weaken as she started floating upwards, being dragged by the bright light. What happened afterwards was an event that finally totaled up all the weirdness of today.

Beautiful white wings sprouted from her back, making her look like a sleeping angel. Her skin started turning a few shades darker as well and her hair was bleaching and grew longer until it covered her eight eye, like their colors were switched around and given a lighter tone. When she finally opened her eyes, dreamy violet eyes gazed through those eternal circles.

"Uah, and I was having such a nice dream…" 'Ayumi' muttered lazily as she raised an arm. "Fighting isn't really my specialty, but you're in my way. I guess it isn't too late to start practicing."

With a single flick of her hand, the loose soul was sent flying backwards into the river. In the palms of her hands, white balls of wind started to form. She compressed it further and further, testing the calculations that she had made up on the spot.

Keima could see what was going on. She was compressing the air until it became plasma, which was destructive even in smaller values. Despite how powerful it is, Keima also knew that the attack would also cause an explosion, and that was enough indication for him to start dragging himself away.

This was the first time she was actually going to fight with her air-based elemental attack, and she would need a powerful enough move to send it off. With a slow smile, she threw the plasma ball towards the enemy. She then flew after it, kicking it to further maximize its potential.

"AMAZING KICK!"

In a blinding white flash, Keima, Elsie and Haqua were knocked backwards as they attempted to flee the scene-obliterating explosion. When it finally died down, all that was left was the new albino angel Ayumi standing over a crater with a near-dead loose soul that was too weak to even move. Elsie quickly hovered towards it and caught it in a containment jar, saving it from its cruel fate.

Now with that over, the trio looked at 'Ayumi' in wonder and confusion. There were too many questions to ask, and no discernible way to say them. In the end, 'Ayumi' just shrugged and walked towards Keima, falling asleep lazily on his chest.

There were so many problems with this scene.

"A goddess?" Haqua asked, looking for confirmation "I can't believe this!"

"But what's a goddess doing inside Ayumi's body?" Elsie said as she stared at the mirror showing the reflection of Ayumi's goddess.

"Like I said, it's a long story and you guys probably aren't interested," the goddess answered as she yawned loudly. "Now can we hurry up? I'm getting tired here…"

Keima and Ayumi looked at Mercury, the goddess which has been hidden within Ayumi's body through the mirror. It was unnatural in lack of better terms, but today had been filled with confusing events. Right now, they were in Ayumi's room, tending to her wounds. Her parents did not approve of Keima barging in, carrying a limp Ayumi in his arms but they had no other choice. They allowed the two of them to heal up in their home. Elsie and Haqua had merely used their raiments to become invisible.

He wouldn't have wanted to bring Ayumi here, but this was the best place if he put it logically. There would be too many questions if they went to see a doctor, and the school infirmary was out. God knows what would happen if they ever went to Keima's house and came across a delighted Katsuragi Mari.

So now here they are, having a strange chat as Mercury tried to explain the situation which even she wasn't sure of. Tried as in 'kept falling asleep midway through explanations'.

"But still, you sure everyone's memories are wiped out, right?" Keima asked, prompting Elsie to nod her head happily.

"Hell will remove the memory of everyone directly in relation with the events of a loose soul, so they wouldn't have much memory of the event," she said energetically. "Although, there are said to be some lingering effects or something…"

"Then…" everyone turned to look at Ayumi who had been quiet until now. "Doesn't that mean that my memory would have been wiped out as well?"

"Well, with Mercury in your body, that's not gonna happen," Haqua explained. "The relationship between Heaven and Hell forbids it."

They both understood what that meant. Right now, the only ones with memories about the events were only them. And since the conquest had been successful, Keima had been officially recruited as a member of the Runaway Spirit Squad whether he liked it or not. His job: Making loose soul vessels fall in love with him so he could remove the spirits hiding in their hearts. This had made matters complicated between Ayumi and Keima, who found that their relationship would get in the way of many conquests.

So in the end, they have come to a conclusion. They would have to keep their relationship hidden, at least until the matter dies out. Who knows what will happen if someone saw Keima trying to conquer a girl while under the impression that he was dating Ayumi?

"But are you really okay with it?" Keima asked for the hundredth time. "My mission would involve me making other real girls fall in love with me, so do you think that you could handle that?"

Ayumi held the PFP 3000, scratched and dirty from the duel back at the river, and smiled. It would be a difficult road indeed, but one thing she was sure of is that she was willing to take the risks. After all, Ayumi had fallen in love with the God of Conquest on her own volition. She wasn't going to take it back now.

After all, this was the price she had to pay for falling in love with a God.

"I feel bad for those girls, but it's something that you have to do…" Ayumi said a little sadly. "Just remember that you could always turn to me if you need help, okay?"

"Oi, Keima, was it?" Mercury muttered. "If you break Ayumi's heart with that stupid job of yours, I'll send an Amazing Kick flying your way."

It was impossible not to break Ayumi's heart, but Keima had no choice. She had chosen to stay in love with Keima and he wasn't going to deny wanting to become her boyfriend. Why was it so hard to make everyone happy?

"Well, maybe you don't have to make them love you?" Haqua suggested. "As long as the gaps in their hearts are filled, then the loose souls will have to leave their vessels. That could happen in many ways."

"Then it's settled!" Elsie raised a triumphant fist. "We're gonna be the best Runaway Spirit Squad team, ever!"

Keima looked at Ayumi once more, knowing that the future ahead of them would be filled with obstacles. But as long as they were facing it together, then maybe things would work out.

A single chapter in this long game has come to a close, but the rest of the story is still waiting to be revealed. But for now…

Save Game?

«**YES**» «NO»


End file.
